Grilled Cheese with Apricot Jam and Arugula (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Posted By Lindsay on December 12, 2010

Remember a week or so ago when I begged, er, asked nicely to vote for my rainbow cake in the Butter recipe exchange? Well, if you hadn’t heard, I won. And I am pretty darn proud and thankful for all of you who rallied behind me. (Thank you!)

Anyways, the prize for the victory, a $150 Kerry Gold gift basket, arrived shortly after. While I knew I was getting some butter (and fantastically amazing butter at that), what I didn’t expect was the sheer quantity of cheese. Swiss and cheddar and gouda, oh my!

Now the grilled cheese probably makes more sense, huh?

But this isn’t just any grilled cheese, this grilled cheese has class. With a thin layer of homemade apricot jam and a few leaves of fresh arugula added at the very last minute, this sandwich is as delicious as it is simple. I mean, it is a grilled cheese, after all. And what a perfect way to highlight the superb ingredients I was given.

This particular sandwich makes use of Kerry Gold’s unusual Dubliner cheese, described as somewhat sweet, somewhat nutty (sound like someone else you know?). That slight sweetness, when combined with the fruit jam and spicy arugula, makes for the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

Directions:

To assemble sandwiches, spread a thin layer of jam on one side of bread. Top with a double layer of cheese slices and second piece of bread. Generously butter outsides of both pieces of bread.

Put sandwiches in skillet and toast until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from pan. Carefully (it will be hot!) peel apart bread and place arugula inside and replace top slice of bread. Cut in half and serve immediately.

And even better? Kerry Gold USA has so kindly offered to share some of their incredible butter and cheese with one of you. That’s right, one lucky reader will win a month’s supply of Irish cheese and butter for their very own.

Mmm… butter…

This giveaway officially kicks of what I am calling “Giveaway Week” here on L&OO (I know, so creative!) I’ve got a lineup of fabulous gourmet giveaways just for you. So watch for those appearing throughout the week and enter for your chance to win.

***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****
Congratulations to Mary, whose comment (#388) was randomly selected as the winner! Hooray!

To Enter:

Simply leave a comment on this post with the answer to this question:What ingredients are in your ultimate grilled cheese?

Entries open through 12/14/10 at 11:59 CST. I’ll be randomly selecting the winner the morning of Wednesday, December 15th. Prize will be shipped to the winner directly from Kerry Gold. Please note that due to the perishable nature of this prize, this contest is open to US residents ONLY.

Want Extra Entries?
Increase your odds of winning! In addition to the main entry comment, leave a separate comment for each bonus entry.
1. Follow @loveandoliveoil on twitter and tweet the following:
“I just entered to win a month’s supply of butter & cheese from @KerryGoldUSA and @loveandoliveoil! Enter here: http://bit.ly/i4HOq0″
2. “Like” Love & Olive Oil on Facebook (or if you are already a fan just say so!)

Be sure you enter a valid email address, because if your name is drawn and I can’t get a hold of you within 72 hours, I will choose an alternate winner. You may also want to add me to your address book (lindsay AT loveandoliveoil DOT com), as I’d hate for your congratulatory email to end up in the spam folder.

My favorite grilled cheese is the one my grandmother used to make me. Nothing fancy, just oven roasted turkey, sharp cheddar cheese, and miracle whip. The sweet with the sharpness of the cheese makes me “melt” every time. Thanks for taking me back to my childhood.

Ultimate grilled cheese…So many options for this!!!
But I really like a classic american cheese and tomato on white bread and properly grilled..complemented by good pickles and french fries – nothing else beats that….although andrea’s sandwich sounds delicious as well!!

Back when we could have nuts (one of my kids has since been diagnosed with a nut allergy), I used a muesli bread from Whole Foods that made for absolutely divine grilled cheese. Thank you for the giveaway!

The best grilled cheese I’ve ever had was from a kitschy little restaurant all the way up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was cheddar & American cheeses on cayenne-cheddar bread (SO. GOOD.) with a little bit of olive-garlic spread & strawberry-habanero dipping sauce on the side. Seriously, I die. I desperately wish I lived closed so I could eat it more regularly – I could try to recreate it for myself, but how the eff will I figure out how to make cayenne cheddar bread?!

You can’t beat toasted bread with gooey cheese. Plain and simple for me. But I’m going to take Lindsay’s suggestion of some garlic salt. And now I’m having grilled cheese for lunch. I even have some Kerrygold cheddar. Yum.

My ultimate grilled cheese consists of dill havarti and aged cheddar. On the bread I always use real butter then dip it into a pan of fresh parmesan/garlic mix, so there is actually “grilled cheese” on the outside of the bread when you fry it in the skillet :)

Two slices of really good bread, a thin spread of roasted garlic on one, a bit of dijon mustard on the other. Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced tomatoes and red onions and provolone cheese. Butter on the outside, cooked in a cast iron pan.

My ultimate grilled cheese, is made with aged old cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, onions, and celery (for crunch). I cook the sandwich in an olive oil that I purchased at Estia (a Greek resto in Halifax NS). The olive oil is made from imported cold pressed olive oil from Greece, and mixed with lemon, garlic, and herbs like oregano. The flavors in the oil are incredible, and the celery provides a lovely crunch.
super simple, but super yum!!!

I like my grilled cheese to be just cheese and bread, but I like to spice it up with different cheese. American, sharp cheddar and provolone with sourdough bread, yummy! I also change it up by buttering the outsides of my bread and then putting it in the…wait for it…waffle maker! It makes the cheese squish out and toasts it perfectly.

I’d have to say a nice melty cheese like munster on sourdough with just enough butter where your bread has the right crunch but not too greasy. Maybe a bit of prosciutto if I really feel like spoiling myself.

Mine is peppercorn gouda and apricot jam on rosemary garlic sourdough bread. The cheese and bread are from my local farmer’s market. The bread has whole cloves of garlic which get slight roasted and sweet in the pan. The cheese has cracked peppercorns, which give it a bit of bite. I toast it all to yummy golden goodness. I have also made it with sun-dried tomato pesto instead of apricot jam. Also wonderful.

Love this giveaway!!! I’m making some grilled cheese tonight with Panera’s tomato basil bread, should be a nice variation to the regular old white bread. I’m tweeting and becoming a fan on facebook too!

I’m on my way to the kitchen, RIGHT NOW, to try this whole ‘grilled cheese with mustard’ thing. With Tomato. HOW have I not thought of that before?? I eat mustard on everything and grilled cheese sandwiches at least a couple times a week. Shameful really…..

My ultimate grilled cheese would have to have to be on a Winnipeg Rye Bread (we just make it so well), with brie, a layer of thinly sliced mushrooms, and arugula. Probably the brie between the other layers of add ins, so that it wouldn’t fall apart into a gooey mess upon consumption. (Although, a gooey mess is kind of part and parcel of a grilled cheese sandwich.)

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